1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Trigger jobs probably take second place only to correcting malfunctions on the average pistolsmith's logbook. Everybody seems to want a "good" trigger...Light, crisp, and smooth. Some of them don't communicate well with their smith, and the result is a trigger that is very nice, but almost wholly unsuited for the intended purpose of the gun, unless the gun is
purely a target pistol.
I'm going to make a flat statement and let the fire fly. A trigger that has zero creep, nearly zero overtravel, and breaks at under 4 pounds makes for a dangerous pistol to carry for duty or defense. I personally won't carry a 1911 with a trigger that breaks at under 5 pounds, and am more comfortable with 5 and a half to 6...I can live with a little creep, as long as it's not excessive, and overtravel is a non-issue with a grip safety that is in-spec. The overtravel stop is built-in, and allows for enough sear rotation
to clear the half-cock notch that may become a problem if an overtravel screw isn't correctly adjusted. I normally remove these screws and toss'em in the parts box anyway. No sense in inviting Murphy to the table.
Nonetheless, I get a lot of questions about factory triggers that are horrid, and I've seen a few that really are that bad. Most of them are perfectly serviceable as they come, but there a few things that can be easily done to make them a bit better. How much depends on how bad it is to start with. The worse the original trigger, the more improvement will be apparent. Most of this entails not much more than smoothing things up and tending to detail.
Remove the trigger group and inspect the disconnector. If the flat face shows a heavy parting line from the casting process, it can be smoothed up by dressing it on 600-grit wet or dry paper backed by a flat surface. Keeping evenly applied light pressure on the face with the fintertip, move it sideways (back and forth) until the rough area begins to blend a little with the good surface. Don't try to make it dead flat and smooth...just smooth the edges a little. Follow up with a drop of honing oil on the paper and move the face with light pressure in a figure-8 pattern. Again, don't try to remove all traces of the casting mark...You're just hitting the high spots. If you have a disconnect that is made of steel and it is pretty even, so much the better. If you remove too much metal in an attempt to make it even, you may find that your hammer won't fall when you try it.
Next, go along the edges of the paddle and lightly break and smooth the corners. It won't take much. Finish buffing the polished face on a piece of old denim backed by the flat surface with a little J&B Bore Cleaner imbedded into the fabric. If you don't have any J&B, toothpaste will work in a pinch. I like Pearl Drops. Buff it briskly and remember the edges.
Flip it over and smooth up the angled area that the sear spring bears against. Polish it until you can't catch a sharp edge or burr with your fingernail.
Take the clean, lightly oiled part and slip it into its channel in the frame. It should fall out easily of its own weight. Dress any rough areas or burrs and buff on the denim.
Look to the stem and head of the disconnect. Lightly dress any rough areas, but be careful not to remove any more metal from the front of the head than necessary to make it smooth. Buff this on the denim too. You may also buff the top of the disconnector a little on the denim, but do NOT use a stone or sandpaper on this part.
Use the 600-grit paper and the flat surface to lightly dress the bottoms of the sear legs by using a "swiping motion" from front to back. Lightly! All you want is to dress any burrs or sharp corners to prevent the disconnector from dragging on the legs. Don't bevel the area that contacts with the disconnector paddle.
Look at the sear spring. At the tops of the legs, use a medium India stone to lightly break the corners at about a 30 degree angle. It will only take a stroke or two per leg, so don't overdo it. Here, it's best to dress in one direction...from the top of the leg toward the bottom. Lay the spring on the stone and draw the spring instead of moving the stone. Finish with a hard arkansas stone with a drop of homing oil.
Look to the sear. use the paper to lightly break any sharp edges, but stay clear of the primary angle. If your hammer hooks are short...less than .021-.023 inch, you can make use of every bit of engagement by laying the sear on the India stone with the arch facing up. Lay the sear legs on top of a .020 feeler gauge blade to create a small breakaway angle behind the primary engagement face. Push the sear on the stone from bottom toward top, being careful to not let the legs fall off the feeler gauge. All you want to do here is create a paper-thin line across the back of the sear...maybe
.003 wide. It doesn't take much to accomplish your goal.
If the sear is pulled from top to bottom, it will kick up a sharp burr on the primary angle. About 3 strokes with medium-light pressure should do it. This way, you don't lose any critical width of the primary angle, and it sets the tip of the sear deeper into the hooks. As long as it's not overdone, there is only rarely an issue with the thumb safety failing to block sear movement, which is a simple fix even if it does. It also creates a tiny bit more clearance for the half-cock notch to get past, helping to prevent the edge of the notch tipping the sear. A light angle stoned on the edge of the half-cock notch will provide a little more...just don't shorten the captive notch itself. Series 80 Colt and late-production Springfield hammers with the safety shelf don't benefit from this operation on the hammer.
Look at the trigger and inspect the bow for sharp edges. Include the top and bottom of the stirrup. If the stirrup has a burr on the bottom, it can catch the bottom of the disconnect and lift it. Break the top and bottom of the stirrup at roughly 45 degrees from the stirrup held perpendicular to the table. Don't use the file or stone at right angles to the parallel trigger bow...cut from the angled stirrup held at 90 degrees to the table.
A smooth mill file will speed it up, but a medium stone will do. Dress off any sharp edges with a piece of 600-grit paper. This includes the top, bottom, and corners of the trigger shoe. Most factory-fit triggres are loose enough to make the shoe a non-issue, but too much up.down motion can cause some other problems at the stirrup and disconnector area.
Lay the sides of the bow on a flat, hard surface with some 600-grit paper and polish lengthwise until the high-spots are burnished and shiny. Do the same thing with the stirrup, and break the edges at 45 degrees with a medium stone. Go along the top and bottom of the bow with a medium stone and dress it lightly. Follow up with the denim and buff briskly...edges too. The lightly oiled trigger should fall in and out of its channel by gravity alone.
Use a chisel-point felt tip marker to color the sear primary angle. Assemble the gun without the grip safety and thumb safety, and dry-fire it a few times. Remove the sear and check to see if the color is removed from both sides evenly. If not, dress the hammer hook that is removing the color by using a 3/8 inch high-speed steel lathe blank. You can buy one from a machine shop for a buck or two. Before using it, lay it on a hard Arkansas stone and move it briskly in a figure-8 pattern to square and define the corners. Use a little 800-grip garnet lapping compound on the hook, and lightly work the lathe tool back and forth on THAT hook a few times. Clean, color, and recheck often. When the color starts to come off the other side, use the lathe tool and the lap to LIGHTLY smooth both hooks...2-3 strokes will probably do. Oil the hooks and the sear with light oil...Remoil or sewing machine oil is good. Assemble the gun and boost the hammer a few times while pulling the trigger until tha hammer falls. Boost by pushing forward and slightly up on the back of the hammer with your thumb and pulling the trigger. If you have to use more than about 10-12 pounds of pressure on the trigger to drop the hammer, you're boosting it too much. Back off slowly while keeping pressure on the trigger. 5 or 6 times should do the trick.
Before starting this final step, it would be a good idea to check the hammer and sear pins for wear or apparent looseness in their holes. If any is noted, replace the pins with new ones to minimize any play. I normally replace these pins as a matter of course on any pistol with more than 5,000 rounds before starting a trigger group tune-up. They're cheap and it lefels the playing field by reducing or eliminating a variable.
Beyond this..just studying and buffing any sharp burrs or corners with fine paper, stone, or just the denim will make things run a lot smoother.
Luck!
Tuner
purely a target pistol.
I'm going to make a flat statement and let the fire fly. A trigger that has zero creep, nearly zero overtravel, and breaks at under 4 pounds makes for a dangerous pistol to carry for duty or defense. I personally won't carry a 1911 with a trigger that breaks at under 5 pounds, and am more comfortable with 5 and a half to 6...I can live with a little creep, as long as it's not excessive, and overtravel is a non-issue with a grip safety that is in-spec. The overtravel stop is built-in, and allows for enough sear rotation
to clear the half-cock notch that may become a problem if an overtravel screw isn't correctly adjusted. I normally remove these screws and toss'em in the parts box anyway. No sense in inviting Murphy to the table.
Nonetheless, I get a lot of questions about factory triggers that are horrid, and I've seen a few that really are that bad. Most of them are perfectly serviceable as they come, but there a few things that can be easily done to make them a bit better. How much depends on how bad it is to start with. The worse the original trigger, the more improvement will be apparent. Most of this entails not much more than smoothing things up and tending to detail.
Remove the trigger group and inspect the disconnector. If the flat face shows a heavy parting line from the casting process, it can be smoothed up by dressing it on 600-grit wet or dry paper backed by a flat surface. Keeping evenly applied light pressure on the face with the fintertip, move it sideways (back and forth) until the rough area begins to blend a little with the good surface. Don't try to make it dead flat and smooth...just smooth the edges a little. Follow up with a drop of honing oil on the paper and move the face with light pressure in a figure-8 pattern. Again, don't try to remove all traces of the casting mark...You're just hitting the high spots. If you have a disconnect that is made of steel and it is pretty even, so much the better. If you remove too much metal in an attempt to make it even, you may find that your hammer won't fall when you try it.
Next, go along the edges of the paddle and lightly break and smooth the corners. It won't take much. Finish buffing the polished face on a piece of old denim backed by the flat surface with a little J&B Bore Cleaner imbedded into the fabric. If you don't have any J&B, toothpaste will work in a pinch. I like Pearl Drops. Buff it briskly and remember the edges.
Flip it over and smooth up the angled area that the sear spring bears against. Polish it until you can't catch a sharp edge or burr with your fingernail.
Take the clean, lightly oiled part and slip it into its channel in the frame. It should fall out easily of its own weight. Dress any rough areas or burrs and buff on the denim.
Look to the stem and head of the disconnect. Lightly dress any rough areas, but be careful not to remove any more metal from the front of the head than necessary to make it smooth. Buff this on the denim too. You may also buff the top of the disconnector a little on the denim, but do NOT use a stone or sandpaper on this part.
Use the 600-grit paper and the flat surface to lightly dress the bottoms of the sear legs by using a "swiping motion" from front to back. Lightly! All you want is to dress any burrs or sharp corners to prevent the disconnector from dragging on the legs. Don't bevel the area that contacts with the disconnector paddle.
Look at the sear spring. At the tops of the legs, use a medium India stone to lightly break the corners at about a 30 degree angle. It will only take a stroke or two per leg, so don't overdo it. Here, it's best to dress in one direction...from the top of the leg toward the bottom. Lay the spring on the stone and draw the spring instead of moving the stone. Finish with a hard arkansas stone with a drop of homing oil.
Look to the sear. use the paper to lightly break any sharp edges, but stay clear of the primary angle. If your hammer hooks are short...less than .021-.023 inch, you can make use of every bit of engagement by laying the sear on the India stone with the arch facing up. Lay the sear legs on top of a .020 feeler gauge blade to create a small breakaway angle behind the primary engagement face. Push the sear on the stone from bottom toward top, being careful to not let the legs fall off the feeler gauge. All you want to do here is create a paper-thin line across the back of the sear...maybe
.003 wide. It doesn't take much to accomplish your goal.
If the sear is pulled from top to bottom, it will kick up a sharp burr on the primary angle. About 3 strokes with medium-light pressure should do it. This way, you don't lose any critical width of the primary angle, and it sets the tip of the sear deeper into the hooks. As long as it's not overdone, there is only rarely an issue with the thumb safety failing to block sear movement, which is a simple fix even if it does. It also creates a tiny bit more clearance for the half-cock notch to get past, helping to prevent the edge of the notch tipping the sear. A light angle stoned on the edge of the half-cock notch will provide a little more...just don't shorten the captive notch itself. Series 80 Colt and late-production Springfield hammers with the safety shelf don't benefit from this operation on the hammer.
Look at the trigger and inspect the bow for sharp edges. Include the top and bottom of the stirrup. If the stirrup has a burr on the bottom, it can catch the bottom of the disconnect and lift it. Break the top and bottom of the stirrup at roughly 45 degrees from the stirrup held perpendicular to the table. Don't use the file or stone at right angles to the parallel trigger bow...cut from the angled stirrup held at 90 degrees to the table.
A smooth mill file will speed it up, but a medium stone will do. Dress off any sharp edges with a piece of 600-grit paper. This includes the top, bottom, and corners of the trigger shoe. Most factory-fit triggres are loose enough to make the shoe a non-issue, but too much up.down motion can cause some other problems at the stirrup and disconnector area.
Lay the sides of the bow on a flat, hard surface with some 600-grit paper and polish lengthwise until the high-spots are burnished and shiny. Do the same thing with the stirrup, and break the edges at 45 degrees with a medium stone. Go along the top and bottom of the bow with a medium stone and dress it lightly. Follow up with the denim and buff briskly...edges too. The lightly oiled trigger should fall in and out of its channel by gravity alone.
Use a chisel-point felt tip marker to color the sear primary angle. Assemble the gun without the grip safety and thumb safety, and dry-fire it a few times. Remove the sear and check to see if the color is removed from both sides evenly. If not, dress the hammer hook that is removing the color by using a 3/8 inch high-speed steel lathe blank. You can buy one from a machine shop for a buck or two. Before using it, lay it on a hard Arkansas stone and move it briskly in a figure-8 pattern to square and define the corners. Use a little 800-grip garnet lapping compound on the hook, and lightly work the lathe tool back and forth on THAT hook a few times. Clean, color, and recheck often. When the color starts to come off the other side, use the lathe tool and the lap to LIGHTLY smooth both hooks...2-3 strokes will probably do. Oil the hooks and the sear with light oil...Remoil or sewing machine oil is good. Assemble the gun and boost the hammer a few times while pulling the trigger until tha hammer falls. Boost by pushing forward and slightly up on the back of the hammer with your thumb and pulling the trigger. If you have to use more than about 10-12 pounds of pressure on the trigger to drop the hammer, you're boosting it too much. Back off slowly while keeping pressure on the trigger. 5 or 6 times should do the trick.
Before starting this final step, it would be a good idea to check the hammer and sear pins for wear or apparent looseness in their holes. If any is noted, replace the pins with new ones to minimize any play. I normally replace these pins as a matter of course on any pistol with more than 5,000 rounds before starting a trigger group tune-up. They're cheap and it lefels the playing field by reducing or eliminating a variable.
Beyond this..just studying and buffing any sharp burrs or corners with fine paper, stone, or just the denim will make things run a lot smoother.
Luck!
Tuner
